Biting the Hand that Feeds You

My cat is jealous of my hand. Really. He recently has been attacking it by wrapping all for four paws around and chewing on my hand. Not sharply, but enough to get my attention. I noticed this after I spend several hours working on the computer. Tuck, named for his Tuxedo-marked fur, tried to get up in my lap several times, but there isn’t any comfortable place for him to rest. He chose to attack the hand I most use. Luckily for him, I let him get it out of his system as he wasn’t hurting me. I find if I fight back, he gets worse, and it’s hard for him to calm down. I guess it’s the wild inheritance of the cat. Anyway, he is well aware of what I am capable of doing if he bites hard. Let’s just say he’s afraid of flying without wings… I guess I could get one of those baby pouches for him to lay in.

I told my son about Tuck’s jealousy, and he said his little dog does something similar. If he doesn’t pet Cocoa as much as he likes, the dog pushes under his hand until he gets the message.

There is that saying, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Maybe I should explain that to Tuck. He should pay attention as he is terrible at catching the mice that scurried about our house for awhile. We’ve about caught them all, but I have little confidence in Tuck being a great mouse hunter in the future. If he catches one he throws it up in the air, playing ball with it until it runs away and hides. And has babies…

I think some of us humans need to learn this lesson. I know I think about my husband paying the bills when I get frustrated at him, and visualize going out and looking for a job. I get nicer pretty quickly. No thank you, I don’t think I want to do that (get a job). I’m too busy to get a job.

But the same holds true in other instances. Bosses that are difficult. Teenagers who find the house rules too restrictive. Paying a debt on a car that stopped running before the note was paid.

Luke 14:28 says, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?” I think one can say, “If you don’t like the consequences, don’t go there, you will not be happy with the results.” Being fired, being thrown out of the house, or having bad credit are all undesirable. However, some things are worth the cost. Like following Jesus. But you don’t want to bit His hand either.